The Grote Kerk, or Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk, is the most prominent silhouette in the city — a heavy brick Gothic church begun in the late 13th century and finished, more or less, in the 15th. The tower stops abruptly at the bell stage, the spire it was meant to carry never built. The flat top has become its trademark, and you can climb the 275 steps for one of the best views in the southern Netherlands: rooftops, water in every direction, the Biesbosch wetlands to the east, and on clear days the Rotterdam skyline to the north.
Inside, the choir stalls are the highlight — late-Gothic carvings of Old Testament scenes, ships, monsters and local proverbs, made in the early 16th century. The stained glass over the high altar is mostly modern (the original was lost in a fire) but the marble pulpit and the long barrel-vaulted nave are intact. The church holds organ recitals on Saturdays in summer and is free to enter outside service hours.